The London Restoration

Title: The London Restoration

Author: Rachel McMillan

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publishing Date: Aug 18, 2020

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Length: 336 Pages

Links: Baker Book House | Amazon | Goodreads

About the Book:

In post-World War II London, determined to save their marriage and the city they love, two people divided by World War II’s secrets rebuild their lives, their love, and their world.

London, Fall 1945. Architectural historian Diana Somerville’s experience as a codebreaker at Bletchley Park and her knowledge of London’s churches intersect in MI6’s pursuit of a Russian agent named Eternity. Diana wants nothing more than to begin again with her husband Brent after their separation during the war, but her signing of the Official Secrets Act keeps him at a distance.

Brent Somerville, professor of theology at King’s College, hopes aiding his wife with her church consultations will help him better understand why she disappeared when he needed her most. But he must find a way to reconcile his traumatic experiences as a stretcher bearer on the European front with her obvious lies about her wartime activities and whereabouts.

My Review:

I feel torn with this one. It grasped my attention in the beginning and I wanted to get to know Diana and Brent more. I wanted to find out exactly how deeply the war had wounded them and see how they would find healing together. The setting was easy to get in to, but unfortunately the plot was too slow-moving that I got bored. It’s not that I disliked anything that I read, but there wasn’t enough to keep me invested and wanting to keep the pages turning. I saw that a few people mentioned that they didn’t like the bouncing timelines but personally I liked that it hopped. The aspect I struggled with was more that the hopping felt more like “a day in the life” instead of content that moved the plot forward. I was really looking forward to this one so I’m sad it ended up not being my cup of tea. Other than the pacing issues I did like the writing style of the author though, so I’d still be willing to read another book by her in the future.

*I purchased a copy of this book from my local Christian bookstore. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.

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